As one of many making the pilgrimage to this year’s G2E in Las Vegas, I found the sheer electricity and excitement among my fellow travelers and media colleagues to be an intoxicating experience, against the backdrop of the high winds, elevated pollen count and the 95-degree heat. Thousands flocked to this year’s expo, which ran at The Venetian from October 9 to October 12 and, despite the sea of people, finding my way around the event lacked the challenges I had previously anticipated. It was nearly impossible to get lost due to the dozens of staff holding signs with directions and calling out to those who might need help navigating the expo. But even if there had been no one to guide the way, anyone could find the expo by following the hundreds of people who were wearing lanyards.
Several of the conferences at G2E this year focused on equality within the gaming industry. Two of note included a session titled 'How Female Gamers are Influencing Game Design' and 'How to Maximize Tribal Engagement for Suppliers and Vendors.'
The conference on women in game design was light and conversational, with a generous mix of humor I found refreshing. Though the topic is a serious one, due to the fact that women are far under-represented on the designing side of the gaming industry, the panelists addressed the subject with grace, poise and flair.
First-time visitor G. Games CCO Helen Walton was not shy in admitting she had never been to Las Vegas until now, despite her many years in the industry, “This is my first time in Vegas. I’ve been in the industry 11 years and I’ve never visited,” she said.
“It was starting to feel like I would make it 20 or 30 years (without visiting) and that should be something I became famous for. So, I’ve broken that…and I’m enjoying it.” She also mentioned she lost money on slots during her visit, something else we have in common!
Social media influencer Francine Maric, who is globally known for her channel, Lady Luck HQ, explained the current trends among both male and female gaming aficionados and what they look for in slot games. She said, “The games that I really stick to and the games my audience really likes to watch, are simple games, simple ways to bonus. They like to see jackpots and they like to see bonuses. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a certain color or certain theme. But people that watch the channel, they want to see playback. They want to see jackpots. They want to see interaction with the game.”
Maric also pointed out that women are not necessarily looking for certain colors, themes or stereotypical visual cues. She said women are looking for aggressive play, for action, high jackpots, bonus options and overall continuous engagement with the slots. Light and Wonder Senior Director of Game Design, Kimberly Cohn, agreed with this, stating, “Women do not want to be pandered to. Women do not want themes specifically aimed at them like ‘Hey, now you can play this butterfly game.’ It tends to be condescending and women don’t want that.”
Meanwhile, during a Tribal engagement seminar, Vetnos CGO Valerie Spicer took a few moments to speak to the overall theme of the session, which focused on treating potential Tribal gaming clients with respect when forming business relationships. She noted the importance of understanding culture and what matters to prospective clients. She commented, “I think it’s truly important to be respectful. I think that’s a very key element to trust. You build trust by being respectful of who you’re doing business with. You have to understand the Tribe, understand their decision process and be respectful of this. Although we’re businesspeople, we want an opportunity and are seeking to get a contract or grab market share, the most important thing to you is probably not the most important thing to them. It’s one of the millions of things they’re working on, and you have to be respectful of what they are doing and why they are doing that.”
Engaged Nation VP of Casino Sales & Partnerships, Heather Lee, echoed Spicer’s comments and added that engagement involves meaningful interaction with prospective partners that goes beyond the office. She said, “It all comes down to respect and how you’re participating in the Tribe outside of the business relationship. Are you doing anything for their community? Are you involved in a golf tournament or something else you can get present that is contributing for them? Something else that is outside of that working relationship? Being a vendor in Tribal gaming, one of the things I’ve learned is like Valerie said, to be familiar with the Tribe, but also what’s the proper protocol for getting a deal and who you are supposed to be talking to? Not working back channels.”
Another highlight from G2E was participating in a brief media tour during day three of the show. Stops on the tour included a product demo with Playtech Live Casino and a Q&A with the company’s CEO, Edo Haitin. He explained the company’s strategy in expanding its US reach. He said, “We are already running in New Jersey and Michigan. And the strategy we’ve been doing is that we are bringing the best games that we have globally, after we optimize them. We know it’s a proven concept. We are bringing and building them here in the US to define them, even if it takes a long time.” Playtech US iGaming Product Director, Colin Matthew Ferris, elaborated further by saying, “One of the things we’ve realized is that the US audience is a different audience. We are making sure we are bringing brands that are popular in the US and we’re making sure they’re having the right mechanics in the US.”
Elsewhere, during a brief stop at Soft2Bet’s booth, CBO Martin Collins discussed the company’s US player retention strategy and explained why setting its gaze on the US market is important to the company. He commented, “Sportsbook retention is a really big issue for everybody and (so is) getting the maximum return on investment from your marketing spend. Particularly in the US, you’re seeing problems with all of the brands getting return from investments that they are putting in to acquire customers. What we have done initially in Europe, but are now bringing to North America, is we have created solutions to drive engagement and have the customer coming back to your brand again and again. We have various solutions for different types of customers by creating different data points.”
For everyone attending this year’s G2E, there was no shortage in access to networking opportunities; swag from various suppliers, operators and vendors; as well as access to bottled water or afternoon cocktails. And if smiles and friendly faces were dollars, this year’s G2E would have been worth millions.
